If It Kills Me
by aelitacodelyoko
Summary: Jeremie has been ignoring Aelita to work on the William project. Odd desides to take her out for a fun day. Songfic to If It Kills Me by Jason Mraz.


**Alright, here's my new oneshot. It's based off of the song: If It Kills Me by Jason Mraz.  
I don't own the song or it's lyrics.  
I hope you enjoy it.  
Anything in italics are the lyrics as well as Odd's thoughts.  
(the lyrics are Odd's thoughts)  
I hope you like it. Review please!**

**If It Kills Me**

**Oneshot**

Aelita and Jeremie were sitting in his room, Aelita on the bed and Jeremie at his computer desk. Jeremie was continuing to scan for a way to retrieve William from Xana's control. Aelita was working with him, on her laptop. They had been working nonstop for the past few hours, only stopping for occasional bathroom breaks, which were necessary and unavoidable. An error occurred on Jeremie's screen and they both sighed. Jeremie started tapping furiously on his keyboard searching for answers to his problem.

"Aelita? Did you corroborate with the system's interface and analyze the infrastructure of his digital system?"

"Yes, Jeremie," Aelita replied lackadaisically and sighed. "I also calibrated his system's digital image, just like you said."

"Aelita! No wonder it didn't work!" Jeremie shouted, and turned to face her. "I said _I_ would calibrate his system! If we do the same thing twice, it's never going to work!"

He let out an exasperated sigh, and turned quickly back around to fix the problem, mumbling to himself as he did so. "Sorry," Aelita mumbled and started her process all over again.

After two more hours of vigorous work and several failed attempts to break William away from Xana's grasp and rematerialize him, Jeremie gave in and let them stop for a while. "Go on ahead to dinner, Aelita. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"You're sure you don't want to come now? We could walk over together," Aelita stated and gave him a slight smile. Jeremie didn't even turn around.

"No, really. We could walk over _together_, Jeremie," she persisted. Again, he didn't turn just mumbled his decline and left Aelita to walk to dinner alone for the fourth day in a row. She walked slowly, mumbling to herself as she went. Other students at Kadic passed her, laughing and running to get to dinner before all the good food was gone. Aelita eventually reached the cafeteria and got in line to receive her food. The line crawled along, but, in time, the lunch lady plopped her food onto her plate, and she slowly dragged herself to where the rest of her friends were sitting and took a seat next to Ulrich and across from Odd. She set her tray down in front of her and slouched over it. She picked up her fork and started poking and prodding at the food in front of her, not really eating anything. Odd, Yumi, and Ulrich laughed at another one of Odd's jokes, until one of them realized Aelita had arrived.

"Oh, hey, Aelita," Yumi said. "Where's Jeremie? Didn't he come with you?"

Aelita looked up when she heard her name. Then, when she heard the question, she sighed. "Oh, no. He didn't. He's still working on the William project. He said he'd be down later." Aelita, then, turned back toward her food, and started poking at it again, moving her potatoes from one end of her tray to the next.

Yumi turned and gave a sympathetic look to Ulrich. Ulrich nodded. Yumi turned to look at Odd, who was still staring at Aelita with a sad expression on his face. She quickly turned back to Ulrich and mouthed the words: This is the fourth time this week. Ulrich nodded again, and they quickly started a conversation back up. Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi just talked about tests or the weather or the way Mrs. Hertz caught Nicholas sleeping in class that day to occupy the awkward silence. Eventually, the cafeteria started to clear out, and Jeremie still hadn't arrived. Odd and Ulrich gave up and got up and put their trays away and headed back to Ulrich's room, leaving Yumi to help Aelita leave the cafeteria.

"Um, Aelita, I'm gonna get going. Aren't you coming?"

Aelita glanced up and took a quick look around, noticing that most people were leaving and that Jeremie had missed dinner again. She sighed and picked up her own tray, following Yumi to dump her food and out of the cafeteria. They walked toward Ulrich's room, but Aelita stopped in front of Jeremie's room and entered instead, closing the door behind her, shutting Yumi out before she could get a word in edgewise.

Aelita put on her best smile as she confronted Jeremie for the fourth time. It was starting to get routine now. "Jeremie, you missed dinner, again," she stated.

"Not, now, Aelita. I've almost got it this time. I'm sure of it!" he retorted and continued to type vigorously at the keys.

"Don't you think you should get something to eat?" Aelita persisted.

"Aelita, can't you see I'm busy at the moment. I need complete concentration. I'll eat something later."

"Do you want me to come with you?" she asked. "Because, I'd be more than happy to-."

"Aelita!" Jeremie shouted and turned around. "I told you, I'm busy. If you just came to chat, could we do it at another time? I've got to finish this."

Aelita sighed like always. "Sure. Whatever," she mumbled and walked out the door and toward her room.

She reached her room within a few minutes and opened her door to collapse on her bed. She stared at her ceiling and tried not to think. Her stomach ended up growling after a while. She continued to ignore it and just laid there.

More minutes past, and her stomach continued to growl louder. She continued to ignore it and got up and finished the rest of her homework. She finished her math quickly and started on History which also passed to soon. Eventually, she had nothing else to do and went to sleep even though it was only 8:30.

Morning quickly followed and it became routine again. She got up and quickly got dressed. Then, she walked over to Jeremie's room, knowing that it would be unlocked and opened the door. Upon entering, she walked over to the computer where Jeremie had fallen asleep, like always. She woke him up with a smile and he greeted her with a 'good morning' before sending her out of the room so he could quickly get changed. It had been like that for the past week. Aelita would wake up herself and then Jeremie.

Jeremie returned to the door soon and opened it for her to reenter. They started working on the William project again. The time slowly went by until Aelita glanced at the clock and noticed it was time for breakfast.

"Jeremie, it's time for breakfast. Let's go," she encouraged.

"Wha-what? Oh, right, um go on without me. I'll be there in a minute. Just let me finish this test run. I'm just about finished," he said and continued to type in various codes and programs.

"Come on, Jeremie. It'll be here when we get back. Let's _go_."

"Wait. Just one second more. I'll be there right behind you. Just go on," he said shooing her away.

Aelita sighed and turned to head toward the cafeteria. She arrived and received her food, and then took a seat at the table with her friends. This time, Yumi didn't ask. She knew Aelita was out of it and probably not concentrating so she leaned across the table to Odd and Ulrich.

"Guys, I'm getting worried about Aelita. I don't know what to do anymore. I tried to get her to come with us last night, but she didn't listen to me and just walked back into Jeremie's room before I could even say anything."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Ulrich replied. "She doesn't act normal in class anymore. She never answers questions and she's been getting B's."

"Well, that's definitely not usual for Aelita! I've never seen her with less than an A!" Odd shouted in a whisper. Ulrich and Yumi glared at him. "No, it's true!" They shrugged.

"Anyway, I don't know what to do anymore. You've got to help me because I don't want this to be a normal thing for Aelita," Yumi stated.

"I'll be more than happy to talk to her after school today," Odd suggested. "I'll hang out with her and try to get her mind off of it.

"Ok, that'd be great, Odd," Yumi said quickly, thinking nothing of it. Ulrich raised his eyebrow skeptically for a second and Odd just stared skeptically back at him until Ulrich felt too awkward and had to turn and look away. They went back to eating and once completed, they took their trays over to dump them and headed to class. Ulrich helped Aelita get on track and they all parted from Yumi and headed to Mrs. Meyer's class. Jeremie showed up roughly as the bell rang and took his seat, not even glancing at Aelita as he rushed in.

Classes dragged on all day, each one more boring than the one before. Lunch passed without much notice, as Jeremie skipped, and classes resumed afterwards dragging on. Aelita sat lifelessly staring and doodling on her paper only to be rudely brought back to reality by an unanswerable question asked by a teacher while she wasn't paying attention. They day continued sluggishly and when the final bell rang for the day the students perked up as the day was a Friday and the weekend lie ahead of them.

Aelita stood up and pushed back her seat, gathering her books into her arms and kicking her chair back in as she headed to leave. "Aelita! Wait up!" Odd shouted as he trudged after her carrying his books.

She turned to look back and stepped to the side to wait for him. "Thanks," he said as he reached where she stood. "Um, are you busy?"

"No, not really. I just have to do some Physics homework, but it won't take long," she stated and sighed. "Why?"

"Oh, I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out with me."

"Well, I was planning on helping Jeremie with the William project," she said and glanced away to see Jeremie heading back toward his dorm room at a rapid pace.

"Forget Jeremie for a while and your homework as well and come hang out with me!" Odd pleaded.

Aelita pondered for a short while. "I don't know, Odd…."

"Oh, come on. It'll be fun!"

"Fine, let me do my homework first and I'll meet you in your room in around 15 minutes."

"But, I thought you wanted to do your homework first."

"Yeah, that's what takes the 15 minutes," Aelita said and gave a smirk.

"Showoff," Odd mumbled as he smirked and waved goodbye. Then, he headed back in the direction of his own dorm. Aelita turned and walked quickly toward her dorm. She walked in and dropped her books on her dresser and pulled out her Physics paper, quickly filling in the answers as fast as her hand could write. She finished within 10 minutes and put it away. After completing her only homework for the weekend, she collapsed onto her bed and stared at the ceiling, sighing. Her legs dangled over the end and her feet were only an inch from the ground. She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed, letting her fingers get tangled in the pink knots. Shutting her eyes, she breathed in slowly and calmed herself down. _Jeremie will come to his senses. Just you wait and see, _she told herself and opened her eyes. She got up quickly and ran her hand through her hair once more to fix it. The knots loosened, but were still there, but it was better. Then, she headed toward Odd's dorm. Upon arrival, Odd was already standing outside of his door, waiting for her.

"Ready to go, princess?" he asked and gave her a smile.

"I guess," she said and shrugged. "Where exactly are we going?"

"You'll see," Odd said and gave a smirk. "For now, it's my little secret."

_Hello, tell me you know  
Yeah, you figured me out  
Something gave it away_

Aelita shrugged and followed Odd down the hallway and out of the building, toward the forest. The air was starting to turn chilly. The November wind was just starting to pick up as the year progressed into winter from fall. People were running all around heading towards the town for various plans for the weekend, heading towards their dorms, or just hanging around chatting. The two continued walking away from the campus and into the forest whose trees were now almost completely barren and whose floor was mostly covered in their past leaves. Aelita crossed her arms and sighed, mumbling something to herself about meeting up with Jeremie and him just being a little slow. "Come on, princess! This way!" he shouted as he ran ahead deeper into the forest.

"Odd! Where are you going?" Aelita shouted and headed after him. Soon, she lost sight of him as he darted around a tree. "Odd! I can't keep up! Where'd you go?" Frantically, she turned around and looked around the trees, searching for him. She spun back around and ran in the direction she saw him go. "Odd! This isn't funny!" She stopped and stomped her foot. Suddenly she heard a crunch of leaves behind her and rapidly turned around to find nothing but leaves behind her. Suddenly, she let out a scream as she felt something grab her around the waist. She turned around quickly noticing Odd laughing hard, holding his stomach.

"You should have seen your face, Aelita!"

She breathed heavily and put her hand to her chest and slapped him on the shoulder with the other. "That wasn't funny!"

"I found it hilarious! Lighten up. What's wrong anyway?"

"Nothing. I'm absolutely fine," she stated stubbornly and crossed her arms.

"Fine. I won't ask," Odd said and stopped laughing.

"Good. Don't," she stated stubbornly.

"I won't." Then, he smirked and pushed her backwards into a pile of leaves, lying under a tree, and continued to laugh. Aelita glared at him from below and stuck her foot out in front of him and knocked him over into another pile of leaves next to her. Then, she started laughing as well.

"Two can play at that game," she said as they both laughed. Odd picked up a big pile of his leaves and threw them at her, and she returned the favor until they were both up running around and throwing leaves at each other. They continued to laugh and throw leaves at each other while running around and dodging trees. The wind came and quickly rustled the leaves up into the air and swirled them around their heads. It caused Aelita to pause to push down her skirt to keep it from flying up and Odd to run into her, knocking her down. They both started laughing.

"Sorry, Aelita," Odd said, smiling as he laughed and moved to get off of her. He brushed his hand across her leg and blushed slightly.

_  
And it would be such a beautiful moment  
To see the look on your face  
To know that I know that you know now_

Aelita didn't notice nor feel his hand and continued to scramble out from under him. She laughed as she finally got out of their predicament and leaned against a tree they had fallen near. Odd quickly moved over and leaned next to her against the tree as well. "You're fine," she said and smiled as she started picking the leaves out of her hair. He did the same. The wind came by again causing the leaves to rustle up and over them as well as causing Aelita to shiver. She wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed them, but continued to smile. "This is the most fun I've had in a while." She breathed a sigh and turned her eyes toward the sky which was now a gray, pale blue.

"I told you you'd have fun," he boasted. "I was right." He turned to face her and stared at her. He face was pale except for her cheeks while were pink from all of the running and the cold wind. Her pink hair was a combination of tangles, knots, and leaves, making it look as wild as a nest, but still cute for it gave her a look like an elf. He took a deep breathe and smiled before turning away.

"Yeah, I guess you were," she stated before turning her gaze away from the sky. "Let's go."

"Where?"

"Where were you planning on taking me in the first place?" she quizzed him as she stood up and he followed suit.

"Oh, alright. This way," he stated and she walked beside him toward his untold destination. He walked slowly and zigzagged in between and around trees.

"So, where exactly are we going?"

"You want to know?" he asked and smirked, glancing over at her. She smiled at him and pondered for a moment.

"Yes."

He stopped abruptly and turned to face her. "Do you really want to know?" he questioned and took a step toward her. Their faces were inches apart. Aelita gazed into his pale blue eyes and he returned the gaze. He smirked and the corners of her mouth turned up. She slowly nodded. "Really?" he asked once more and took a small step closer to her and raised his eyebrows. She nodded slowly once again. The wind rustled around them and lifted the leaves into the air again. He stared at her as her hair rustled and became more tangled as did his. When the wind died down he smirked at her once more. "Alright." He leaned in and almost pressed his lips to her ear. His warm breath was felt upon her ear and neck causing Aelita to have goose bumps up and down her arms. Aelita's own breath was felt upon his neck. When it seemed like he would no longer say anything on the subject and just stand there for the rest of the day, he took a deep breath and smiled.

Then, very quietly he whispered, "Well, I'm not going to tell you," before he backed away and started laughing.

"Odd! You're such an idiot!" Aelita yelled and pushed him backwards before she, herself, started laughing as well. Then, they started walking again. Odd headed around the trees, Aelita continued to follow, walking beside him.

And baby that's a case of my wishful thinking  
You Know Nothing

They continued on their journey to the untold place and soon arrived at the edge of the forest at the street. Odd turned right and headed along the sidewalk into the town.

"So, it's in the town, is it?" Aelita asked and smiled.

"Nope, I just turned toward the town because it's not here," he said and laughed.

Aelita laughed and her face turned red. "Well, aren't we a smart-aleck. I haven't ever heard something like that from you before."

"Yeah, and I haven't heard you say something so stupid before, so we're even!" Odd said and laughed again.

Aelita smiled and rolled her eyes. "So, what are you doing tomorrow? Got anything planned this weekend?"

"Well, I was going to spray-paint the teacher's bathroom yellow in all of the toilets, irritate Sissi by calling her a dipstick and ugly, 'borrow' a pie from the cooking club, and maybe even go sock sliding in the hallway, but if you have something that sounds more fun than that I could think about skipping the sock sliding," Odd said and Aelita laughed.

"And, you don't think the cooking club would mind if you took a pie from them?" she asked and continued to laugh.

"I said I would 'borrow' it. They wouldn't mind." He smiled and turned left.

"And what happens when you can't _return_ the pie? What then?" she asked and continued to follow him around the corner and down the street.

"They wouldn't have to know it was me. I'd just blame it on Herve or Nicholas or somebody. I'd figure something out," he retorted and smiled. "What did you have planned? Anything funner than that?"

"Funner? Is that even a word?" Aelita asked and giggled.

"It is to me. Now, answer the question!" he stated and looked her way.

"I hadn't planned anything. I thought about some things, but I can't remember them anymore," she stated and paused.

"Oh, well that sounds fun," Odd stated and laughed.

"Yeah, it will be," Aelita said and laughed along with him as the both continued to walk down the street.

_  
Cause you and I  
Why, we go carrying on for hours, on and  
We get along much better  
Than you and your boyfriend  
_

Odd turned right at the streetlight and Aelita followed. "Come on!" he shouted and ran ahead. Aelita smiled and ran quickly after him. Odd abruptly stopped at the corner of the next street, and as quickly as Aelita could stop wasn't quickly enough and she ended up plowing right into him.

She laughed as he stumbled and regained balance. "Sorry."

"Oh, that's what you say now, but you were really trying to kill me, weren't you?" Odd suggested and smirked. Aelita continued to laugh and they both started to walk again. "It's ok. I'll forgive you this once because you were probably just basking in my awesome beauty."

Aelita laughed. "Yeah, sure. That's exactly what I was doing." Odd stopped and hit the button to make the light change and waited so they could turn left and walk across the street. They both waited and Odd took a moment to really look at Aelita. He smiled, noticing how beautiful she looked. Her skin was ever so pale except for her cheeks which were a bright pink. Her hair had lost most of the leaves, but its wind-blown look continued to remind him of a fairy. He got lost for a moment staring at her. _She's so beautiful. I wish she wasn't so sad all of the time. If she was happier, she'd be the most gorgeous person on the face of this earth. I wish Jeremie was out of the way so I could just wrap my arms-._

"Odd," she stated and turned around toward him.

He shook his head and blinked a couple of times. "Yeah? What?"

"The light changed. We can go," she said and smiled at him. "You ok, Odd? You look a little weary. Is anything wrong?"

He sighed slightly, but recovered with a smile. "No. Nothing's wrong. I can't wait till we get there."

"Oh, me neither. Where are we going again?" she asked and smiled.

"Not a chance." He smirked and they both crossed the street into a busier part of the town with more teens from various areas of the city. Some were heading to the movies, others to pizza, even others going to other various spots to hang out. Aelita rolled her eyes and continued to walk beside Odd.

"Ok, close your eyes," Odd told Aelita who just stared at him and raised her eyebrows. "Come on."

"Why?"

"Because I want you to. Just do it," he said strictly.

Aelita rolled her eyes again but complied and closed her eyes. "Alright, now what?"

"Give me your hand," Odd stated and she sighed and placed her hand into his and waited. He smiled. _Her hand is so cold, but it feels so good. _"Ok, now follow me."

"What!? I'm walking like this?" Aelita scrunched up her face and grasped his hand tighter. _That feels so good. Why does she ever have to let go?_

"Trust me, Aelita. Nothing's going to hurt you. I won't let you run into anything," he said and smiled. She calmed down a bit.

"Ok. I trust you." She took a deep breath and relaxed. "Ok. Let's go."

Odd slowly guided her down the street around pedestrians and cyclists. Soon enough, he stopped and turned left. He walked a really short way before stating, "Ok, step up." Aelita followed his direction and stepped up. Then he turned her to face him so that she was facing away from their destination and stood about a foot from him. Her hand was still clasped in his. _This would be great if Jeremie never came back in the picture and we could stay like this forever._ "Ok, open your eyes."

Aelita slowly opened her eyes and faced his smiling face. "Where are we, Odd?"

"Don't you know?"

She giggled. "I can't see anything except your head, Odd. For all I know we could be on Mars."

"Well, we're not. Mars would have a redder sky than this, anyway." She laughed again as did Odd.

"Oh, come on. Just tell me!" she insisted.

_I love you, _he thought. "Turn around," he said instead and smirked.

_  
Well all I really wanna do is love you  
A kind much closer than friends use  
But I still can't say it after all we've been through_

Aelita turned around and her eyes went wide. "You took me to the ice-skating rink, and my favorite one at that? You brought me to the one with the ice cream shop in it? That's so awesome!" she said and turned back around to face him, beaming from ear to ear. "This is great!" She wrapped his arms around him and pulled him in for a hug. He smiled and wrapped his arms back around her.

_Don't let go. _"I'm glad you like it," he said and hugged her tighter. _Never let go. _"I'm glad this is a good surprise."

"It's a very good surprise," Aelita said and slowly pulled herself free from the hug. "Let's go inside!" She quickly grabbed Odd by the hand, pushed the door open, and ran inside. They quickly got skates and made it to a bench so they could put them on. Quickly fastening the laces, Aelita hurried to get herself out onto the ice, dragging Odd along with her.

"Help me! I've only done this a few times!" she shouted when she almost fell. "I forgot I wasn't so good at this." She scratched the back of her head and smiled awkwardly.

Odd laughed and quickly skated toward her and she grabbed his arm. _She's so cute. I'm glad she's not an expert at this._ "It's fine. I'll help you." He switched her grasp to his left hand and started to skate, slowly picking up speed as he went. "Hold on."

"Odd! What are you doing?" she asked as Odd pulled her around behind him. "OOOOODDDDD!" She screeched and he laughed. Soon she laughed as well. He pulled her a few times around the ring. She half-laughed half-screeched the whole way. After a few more times around, he skidded to a stop and she bumped into him. Luckily, they both regained their balance and didn't crash to the icy floor.

"Ah!" Aelita shrieked as she skidded into him. "Oh, I'm sorry, Odd," she said, grabbing his shoulders and trying to stay upon her skates. Odd just smiled.

"It's fine," he stated and smiled.

Aelita laughed. "I didn't know you were stopping. I didn't mean to run into you."

_I'm glad you did. How else would I get this close to you? Especially since you're taken. _"No really, it's fine, Aelita. No harm done. We didn't fall over. You didn't injure me. It's no problem."

Aelita backed away as best she could on her skates and smiled with him. "Alright. Do you want to take a break and get a snack?"

"You read my mind, princess."

He, then, guided her by the hand over to the side of the rink and helped her step out before him. After which, he in turn stepped out. They slowly walked over to their shoes and sat down to replace their skates with their shoes. Odd finished first and sat and waited for Aelita to complete changing her footwear so they could go get their snack. _She's too good for Jeremie to make her so upset. If I were with her more often, she'd be much happier. If she knew I felt how I felt, maybe she'd realize she felt the same way. Maybe, she would realize she doesn't want to wait around for Jeremie to notice that she has feelings too. Maybe, she'd give up on him and give me a try._

"Are we ready?" she asked, waking Odd from his thoughts. He nodded and smiled.

_  
And all I really want from you is to feel me  
As the feeling inside keeps building  
And I will find a way to you if it kills me  
If it kills me  
_

They headed over to the ice cream shop to get their snack. Aelita walked up to the counter and stared at the menu board with all the different flavors of ice cream, all the different snacks, and all the different soft drinks available. "What are you going to get, Odd?"

"I don't know. I was thinking about a pretzel, but then I thought that ice cream sounded good so I thought: why not get both? But, I wasn't sure if that was too much before dinner, and as I was thinking about dinner I realized I was really hungry and that those hot dogs looked really good, but that I couldn't see any ketchup or mustard, and I can't eat a hotdog without ketchup and mustard so I thought about getting a slice of pizza, but right next to the pizza was the ice cream flavors so they drew my attention, and I couldn't decide. Maybe, I should just get both or all three. What do you think?" he asked and smiled.

Aelita laughed. "I was going to ask if you wanted to share something, but I guess not." Odd laughed along with her.

"Aren't you hungry? You didn't eat lunch," he stated.

Aelita shrugged. "I guess I'm a little hungry. I was going to share a pretzel with you so I could get a small ice cream, but if you're as hungry as you say you are, maybe, you'd rather just get one to yourself."

"No, no. I'll share one with you. That way I can get an ice cream, too!"

Aelita giggle and stepped up to the counter. A black-haired teenager in glasses, and suspenders looked down at her from his height of 6' 3". "May I take your order?" he asked and sniffed. Aelita did her best not to laugh as she ordered a small strawberry ice cream and a pretzel.

"And, what about you?" he asked as he turned toward Odd. His face was covered in pimples although he probably should have been cleared up at his age. Odd, on the other hand, just laughed and ordered a double chocolate double scoop on a cone and told him to keep his sniffs to himself. He glared, but gave them their food as Odd paid for it before walking away.

"He looked just like an older Herve!" Odd stated as he laughed and shoveled his ice cream into his mouth. They both continued to talk about him as they finished their treats. Aelita broke the pretzel in half and Odd smiled as she gave him the bigger piece. After consumption, they both threw away their trash and headed back over to get their skates back on.

Aelita quickly tied the laces on hers, but still wasn't finished as soon as Odd was. She shook her head, but smiled. He smirked as he helped her get onto her feet. "You've got to be faster than that, princess." She rolled her eyes and they both headed down onto the ice. Aelita stepped down cautiously, followed quickly by Odd, and they both got going.

"I think I'm finally getting the hang of this," Aelita stated as she glided along the ice without stumbling. "This isn't too hard." She smiled and turned the corner. Odd passed by her side and started skating backwards facing her as he went. "There's no need to show off, though. I know you're better than me at skating. You can slow down and wait for me!"

He smirked. _Only for you, I will. _He slowed down and let her catch up to him. She smiled and he stared into her eyes. She stared back for a second or two before noticing and slightly blushed before she looked away. She glanced back and he was still staring. She rolled her eyes and pushed him backwards, laughing. He smiled at her and continued to skate slowly backwards.

_  
Well, how long, can I go on like this,  
Wishing to kiss you,  
Before I rightly explode?_

She watched him skate, and as hilarious as it would have been if he had bumped into another person on the ice, he didn't. He was almost perfect out there. She tried to keep up with him, but struggled to go as fast as he could backwards. Aelita tried to speed up a little more just to go the same speed as him. As she did speed up, she stumbled. Her eyes went wide as she realized she would come face to face with the ground. Hard. Odd's eyes went wide, and he slowed enough to reach out and grab her hands, lifting her off her feet and then setting her back down onto her skates. Her arms draped over Odd's shoulders for support. Aelita's eyes were still wide with shock as she realized she wasn't on the ground. Odd moved his hands to her waist in order to steady her and help her regain her balance. Their faces were inches apart and Odd stared into her eyes. "You need to be more careful, princess. You could have really gotten hurt."

She stared back. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall. Thanks." Her eyes shined as she breathed heavily, trying to calm her own heart. Odd couldn't help but tilt his head closer to hers. Both of their eyes were still wide with shock, but Aelita looked so beautiful, and it was as if they were the only ones on the ice.

Odd slowly moved in closer. Aelita followed until they were only two inches apart. That was when a thought came to his head of what he was about to do. Suddenly, his eyes relaxed and deterred himself into a hug instead. He sighed deeply. _Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Think of what you almost did! You could have ruined everything. _"I-I'm glad you're ok. You're welcome. I'm just glad you're alright." He sighed again. _Nice cover. Remember, you're just a friend. _He took a deep breath and felt Aelita relax. _She smells so nice. Why do I have to be just the friend?_ They both pulled out of the hug, and stared at each other smiling.

"Thanks," she said simply.

"You're welcome. Do you want to stop skating?"

"No, I'd like to just skate a little slower," she said and half-smiled.

"Oh," he mumbled and gave an awkward smile. "Sure."

_  
This double life I lead isn't healthy for me  
In fact, it makes me nervous  
If I get caught, I could be risking it all  
_

He backed up away from her and she smiled. He gave a half-smile and turned to go forward. Suddenly a hand made its way into his. He turned and she was smiling at him with those eyes he couldn't resist. His heart melted and he smiled. "Come on, let's go!" He took her around the rink a few times at a more reasonable speed. She giggled when he sped up slightly, but he would always slow back down around turns. The next time he looked at the clock it was already 5:45.

"Wow, look at the time," Odd said as he slowed to a stop. "No wonder I'm so tired and hungry."

Aelita laughed. "Wow, 5:45 already? I didn't think we'd been here that long."

"We'd better return the skates." Aelita nodded in agreement. They headed over to the edge and walked toward their shoes. They both quickly changed into their shoes and picked up their skates. The clerk behind the counter took their skates with a smile and they both smiled back and headed toward the door.

"That was great, Odd. Thanks for that, but we'd better get back before dinner," she said and turned to head back toward Kadic.

"Hey, stop right there! Who said we were going back for dinner?" Odd asked and Aelita turned back around and shook her head. He just smiled at her. "Come on! Let's go!"

"Odd, you've already paid for me to go skating, and for a snack. You don't need to take me to dinner. We'll just eat at Kadic."

"Aelita, I never get to go anywhere to eat out. Are you really going to ruin my fun?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Where are we going?"

"I thought you'd ask that!"

"Oh wait, let me guess! It's a surprise!"

Odd laughed and nodded. "Come on!" he said and walked in the opposite direction of Kadic. They passed some shops as the walked to their food destination. They window shopped as they went. The first shop contained a bunch of ceramic dolls. Odd pointed out one that looked like Yumi, but was in a bright pink dress. Aelita laughed and kept walking. There was a pet shop with Puppies in the window that all seemed to get excited when Odd pressed his face to the glass. They all tried to lick him through the glass. He and Aelita laughed and kept walking. They passed a small restaurant that was very popular, and Aelita gave him a questioned look, but he shook his head and they kept on walking.

_  
Baby there's a lot that I miss  
In case I'm wrong  
_

They passed a sports shop, and a coffee shop. Then, came a t-shirt shop that Aelita begged to go into after seeing the sign in the window. It read, 'custom design tees sold here'. Odd shrugged and followed her inside. She looked around and found some odd looking shirts. One said 'Don't eat the chickens. They don't go around eating you!' She laughed and showed Odd. He laughed as well and found another shirt. It read, 'I don't fail. I loose with class.' He laughed and so did Aelita. They continued to search and read through the oddly titled shirts. Then, Aelita found what the sign was talking about. There was a counter near the back of the shop that had various colored shirts of various sizes with different names and designs on them. One had 'Kimberly '04' written on it with a graduation cap on it. Another had a picture of a man and wife on it. Underneath the picture was the words, '50th Wedding Anniversary'. All of the shirts were different.

"Can I help you, miss?" asked the man behind the counter.

"What can you put on these shirts?" she asked him and he smiled.

"We can put just about anything. We have a bejeweler to add jewels to the shirts. We can take any photo and add it to the shirt. We can put names and words. We can add certain designs like this one here with the graduation cap. We can do almost anything you want. Are you interested?"

"Could you put my name on a shirt?"

"Yeah, I could."

"Even if it's uncommon?"

"Yeah, as long as you told me how to spell it," the man said and smiled. "Would you like me to do that for you?"

"Hold on. I'll think about it." She walked away and browsed around the store. "Do you think I should, Odd?"

"Well, that is the reason you wanted to come in here. I think you should."

"Well, what should I put on it? I don't know. I know I want my name, but what else?"

"You want my opinion?" She nodded. "Put your name on the front in some hot pink. Then, in silver jewels, put a crown over the 'A', and on the back in the silver jewels you should put 'Princess'."

"That sounds so cute! Thanks! I think I'll do that," she said and smiled at him, her eyes sparkling again. Odd smiled back and resisted moving closer. Then, she and he walked back over to the counter. Aelita told the man what she wanted. He nodded and smiled.

"That should be cute. What size are you?"

"Um, a small."

"Alright and what color top?"

"Um, do you have a light pink?"

"Sure do, miss," he said and smiled. "Would you like that?"

"Yes, please."

"Alright, then. It should be ready in a few hours. Your total is 11.17 €. Will that be all?"

Aelita looked over to Odd to see if he wanted anything. He shook his head and handed the man the money before Aelita could. The man smiled and told them to come check back in two to three hours. They left the store and headed off toward their restaurant.

"You don't have to pay for me. I've got money. I can pay for my own things Odd," Aelita insisted. "Take my money." She held out the money it cost to pay for the shirt. "No here take my money for the skates too," she said and added a couple more bills and held it out to him. He shook his head.

"I don't want your money, Aelita."

"Then what do you want? I'll pay for dinner. I'll get you a coffee. I can go back and buy you that shirt you saw. What do you want?"

_I want you. I want you to love me as more than a friend. _"Nothing right now. I don't want anything. Plus, this way, you owe me," Odd said and laughed. Aelita stuffed the money into her pocket and laughed as she pushed Odd's shoulder.

_  
Well, all I really wanna do is love you  
A kind much closer than friends use  
But I still can't say it after all we've been through  
_

"Come on, let's go to dinner," he said and started walking towards the restaurant. They continued to pass various shops. They didn't stop though at any others. They just walked and made casual conversation as they went. They talked about how fun it had been skating, how funny some of the shirts had been, how cold it was getting, how much homework they had gotten, and various other topics. They passed three small restaurants as they walked. None of them were the restaurant that Odd had planned to go to.

"Odd, I'm getting tired. I don't want to walk anymore. Can't we just eat here?" Aelita asked as they reached a fourth restaurant.

"I know you're tired, but it's just a little farther. Come on!"

"Odd, if we go any farther we won't even be in this area anymore. You're leading us to the river!" Suddenly, it hit her. He was leading her to the river. That was the point in the beginning.

"Odd, I don't want to go to the river."

"Come on, Aelita. We walked all this way, and you don't even want to go?" he asked.

"The only restaurants down there are fancy. I-I wouldn't feel comfortable. I-I wouldn't be happy, Odd. I would just feel awkward. This day was really nice, and I really have liked it so much. Please, don't ruin it by taking me to an expensive restaurant. That would be too much," she pleaded.

"Please, Aelita. Trust me. You'll love it. I won't take you to a fancy place. I promise. I hadn't planned on it. I just don't have that kind of money," he said and laughed. Aelita smiled slightly. "Trust me. You'll love it. It's only two blocks away."

She sighed and shrugged. "Fine. I trust you."

He smiled. "Great. Let's go." They walked for another block and then he told her to close her eyes. She did and grabbed his hand.

"It better not be fancy Odd Della Robbia, or so help me, I will dump you into the river," she threatened. They both laughed and she grasped his hand tighter as they started to walk.

"You won't regret it." He smiled.

_And all I really want from you is to feel me  
As the feeling inside keeps building  
And I will find a way to you if it kills me  
If it kills me  
_

They walked for another block and then he turned left. She followed him until he finally stopped. She could smell the river. They were right on the bank. She could tell. She sighed.

"Alright, we're here. You can open your eyes," Odd said and smiled.

She looked up at the name of the restaurant: 'Zino's Pizza. Voted #1 Pizza Place in France'. She smiled. "It's a pizza place."

"Not just a pizza place. It's the best pizza place in all of France and it is definitely worth the walk to get here. I've only been here twice, but trust me when I say it's good. Do you hate it?" he asked as he saw the look on her face.

"No, Odd I don't hate it. I love it. It's not fancy at all. Thanks."

He smiled and relaxed. "You can see the river from the back porch."

"Alright. Well, I'm still tired of walking so let's go in and get a seat," she said and they both headed through the double doors. They chose a table in the back of the restaurant near the window. There were quite a few others in there as well who all seemed to be enjoying their meals. A waiter came to their table almost immediately and brought them menus. After a few minutes of deciding, they ordered a large pizza that was half meat lovers and half Hawaiian, along with a side of cheese bread. The meat lovers half was for Odd, and the Hawaiian was for Aelita. The waiter nodded and rushed of to put in their order.

"Thanks, Odd. Today has been great."

"You haven't had a great day until you taste the pizza," he said and they both chuckled. "After you've tasted the pizza, then you can say you've had a great day."

"Thanks, Odd, for everything today. What can I ever do for you to make your day as great as you've made this day for me?" she asked.

"There's nothing. I've had a great day just being with you and not at that school. Nothing could be better," Odd said and smiled. _Nothing could make it better other than what I can't ask you to do. Nothing could make this day better while you're still with Jeremie._

"No really, isn't there anything I can do? It doesn't have to be today. We can go do something together another day. We can do anything you want. We could go to that buffet you like, go to a sci fi movie, take kiwi for a walk, or anything you want. I feel like I need to repay you somehow."

"It's fine, Aelita. If I ever think of something, I'll tell you. If I ever want to see how scared your face would look after seeing a sci fi movie, I'll call you up and we can go," he said and they both laughed.

"Isn't there anything you wanted to do tonight before we go back to Kadic?"

"I'm not sure. I'll think about it."

"Ask me anything, and we can go," she insisted.

_  
If I should be so bold  
I'd ask you to hold my heart in your hand  
Tell you from the start how I've longed to be your man  
_

He shook his head and laughed. "I'll tell you if I think of something." She sighed. "Don't be so unhappy. Enjoy this. Plus, the cheese bread is here."

Aelita turned her head and sure enough the waiter was walking over toward their table with their cheese bread. He set it down on their table and asked if they needed any plates. Aelita nodded, and he returned after a few seconds with two paper plates. They both thanked him.

Odd sat in his chair eyeing the bread. "Ok, try it. I want to see your reaction." Aelita laughed.

"Why?"

"I want to see your face when you taste the best cheese bread in the entire country!" She laughed again and took a strip. It was warm and the cheese was stringy. She pulled it from the other pieces and took a bite. She closed her eyes and chewed. A smile appeared on her face and as she opened her eyes, they went wide.

"That's amazing!" she said and took another bite.

"I know, right?" he asked as he grabbed some for himself. He took quick bites and finished twice as fast as Aelita.

"Wow, Odd. You must be hungry," she stated and they both laughed.

"I am hungry." He eyed another piece and took it, finishing it off before Aelita started her next piece.

"This is amazing," Aelita said and smiled at him. "Thanks for taking me here."

_You're amazing. Thanks for coming with me. _"Thanks for walking all this way when you didn't want to."

_But I never said a word  
I guess I'm gonna miss my chance again  
_

"You're welcome. I'm so glad you convinced me to come all the way down here. It was way worth it."

"And you haven't even had the pizza yet," he replied and smiled.

She smiled and they continued to chat until they received their pizza. When the pizza came, Odd did the same thing. He waited for Aelita to take her first bite before he started eating. She loved it and they both continued eating until majority of the pizza and cheese bread was gone. Only a few slices of Hawaiian and some cheese bread were left. "That was the most amazing pizza I've ever had in my life," Aelita stated and Odd smiled. Aelita leaned back into her chair and turned to look out the window at the river. The sun had just started to go down. The sky was an unusual orange color and the clouds were light pink.

"Odd, what time is it?"

"I think it's around 7. Why?"

"Really? Already? Are we going to make it back to Kadic in time? What if Jim catches us out of bed and he…he…and we get a detention or…," Aelita rambled.

"Aelita, you worry too much. Just relax. If Jim catches us, who cares? I don't. Today was way worth a detention. You do realize this is Friday anyway, and technically we don't even have to be back until Monday."

"Yes, but I still don't like being late, and we have to pick up that shirt, and …," Aelita continued.

Odd stared at her and sighed. _This is the part where you lean in and kiss her and say 'you worry too much'. This is the part where everything works out. This is the part where she realizes that you're amazing and that you're better than Jeremie. This is the part where you just lean in and kiss her and everything turns out right in the end. _"Don't worry about it. We won't get caught," he said with an awkward smile and sighed again. "I'll pay and we can start walking back."

Aelita smiled and continued to watch the sky change from orange to red to black. Their bill came, and Odd paid although Aelita offered. He just shook his head and gave the waiter the money. Aelita rolled her eyes and got up from the table. Odd quickly got up and followed her out of the restaurant. They turned and headed back from where they had come. Aelita shivered as she stepped out.

"Are you cold?"

"Well, it's always colder after dark," she said and rubbed her hands together before putting them in her pockets.

"I can warm your hands for you, if you want," he said and she nodded and held her hands out. He took one and rubbed quickly. She laughed and gave him the other. He repeated the same method. She laughed and he stopped, letting his hand linger around hers for a few seconds before letting go. "Better?"

Aelita laughed again. "Yeah. Thanks, Odd. That's much better," she said and smiled. Then, they continued to walk.

_  
All I really wanna do is love you  
A kind much closer than friends use  
But I still can't say it after all we've been through  
_

Only a few people were still out. Most of them were couples holding hands, linking arms, wrapping arms around waists, or running off to see a late movie. The sky was filled with stars and it was a nice night for autumn. Odd and Aelita talked about various subjects as they went on their way. Odd kept glancing around at the couples on the street. A blonde girl ran up to what was most likely her boyfriend and laughed as she wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes. He laughed and spun her around before kissing her.

"So…," Odd said awkwardly and kept walking. Aelita glanced over at him with an awkward smile.

"So…. Um, yeah. Nice night, huh?" he asked, and Aelita laughed.

"Yeah, nice. I can see the stars and everything." She glanced awkwardly around at the couples before looking back at Odd.

"Yeah," he said and looked up at the stars quickly. They passed quite a few more shops as they walked. They added to the conversation awkwardly as they saw all of the various couples, but it wasn't the same as walking to the restaurant. _Just stop and tell her. Just tell her. Tell her. Buck up the freakin' courage to just tell her. It's not so hard. Just open your mouth, say something witty about the other couples, and then tell her how you feel. _He opened his mouth, but just bit his tongue and closed it again with a sigh. Aelita looked over at him with a smile, and he smiled back. _She's so beautiful. _They arrived at the t-shirt shop and walked in. Aelita quickly received her shirt and thanked the man at the counter with a smile. The shirt was exactly as she had wanted.

"That looks just like you," Odd said with a smile, and Aelita put it in the bag before they headed back out.

"It better look like me. I wouldn't want it to look like you!" she said and laughed. He laughed back with her.

"What you don't like the way I look?"

They both laughed harder. "I wouldn't want to be that scrawny."

"I'm svelte!" he persisted, and they both laughed. "Plus, it's a good thing it doesn't look like me. Purple isn't your color. It would clash with your hair." They both continued to laugh.

Odd looked around at the couples and sighed slightly. "Anything wrong?" Aelita asked him with one of her eyebrows raised.

"No nothing. What could be wrong? This has been one of the funest days in a long time. I got to go ice skating, eat some of the best pizza in the country, and hang out with you all day. What could be wrong?" he asked. It wasn't exactly a lie, just more of a half-truth.

Aelita smiled skeptically. "Are you sure there isn't anything wrong? You keep sighing. Is it all these couples?"

"No, no. It's nothing. I guess I just don't want to go back to Kadic," he muttered.

"Yeah, me neither," Aelita stated. Her eyes twinkled at him.

_Was that a hint?_ "You just said you wanted to get back quickly just five minutes ago. Now, you want to stay out. Which is it? Stay out or go back?"

Aelita shrugged. "I don't really want to go back. I just don't want to get in trouble."

Odd rolled his eyes and laughed. "Is that all you're worried about? I laugh at the sight of trouble. If that is the only reason you want to go back, let's stay out. We can do something else before we go back." He smiled at Aelita. "What do you say? Do you wanna do something else tonight?"

Aelita contemplated it for a minute. "I don't know. It's getting kind of cold, Odd. Don't you think?"

Odd shrugged. "Who cares?" He looked into her eyes and she looked awkwardly away, but then back. Her eyes sparkled again. He grabbed her on the sides of her arms. "Do you really want to go back to Kadic, or do you want to stay out and do something fun?"

Aelita looked him in the eyes and thought for a second. "I don't want to go back," she answered with a smile. Odd smiled and nodded.

"I knew you wouldn't. Let's go have some fun." Odd smirked and let go of Aelita's arms.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Follow me!" Odd quickly ran back from the way he had come from and turned left when he got to the corner. He headed out into the plaza. There were many lamp posts surrounding the circle plaza in the center. In the dead middle was a fountain surrounded by a few benches. There were a few people wandering around and visiting the shops to either side. Aelita tried to keep up with him as Odd darted to the fountain in the center. He quickly jumped up onto the ledge.

_And all I really want from you is to feel me  
As the feeling inside keeps building  
And I will find a way to you if it kills me  
If it kills me  
If it kills me  
I think it might kill me  
_

"What are you doing? Odd, get down from there!" Aelita urged and looked around to see if anyone was staring. "What are you doing? People are starting to look over here."

"Let them look," he challenged. "Come on!" He reached out and took Aelita's hands and pulled her up onto the ledge. Aelita quickly set her bag down on a bench placed against the fountain.

"What are we doing?"

"Having some fun!" he stated with a smile and put his hands into the fountain and flicked the water at Aelita. Then, he laughed and ran off to the other side.

Aelita laughed back and ran after him. She got some water and flicked it at him. They both laughed together and continued to run around the fountain. As Odd was occupied laughing, Aelita pushed him just enough so that he was off balance and tripped into the fountain. He regained his balance before he was pushed all the way, but his shoes and the bottom of his pant legs were submerged in the water he was standing in. Aelita laughed and Odd looked up at her mischievously. "Oh no. No. No. No!" she shrieked and laughed at the same time. Odd grabbed her wrist and pulled her down to where she was standing in the water as well. They both laughed and Aelita kicked water up onto Odd and tried to run around to the other side before he could get to her. They both laughed, but Odd caught her and tried to push her under the fall of the water. He succeeded, but she pulled him in with her.

"Ah! Aelita! I'm soaked!" he exclaimed and she laughed at him.

"Well, do I look dry to you?" she said and they both laughed as they looked at each other's drenched self.

Odd hopped back up onto the fountain ledge and put his hand out to help Aelita out. They both continued to laugh. "I'm so cold!" Aelita said and shivered.

"Oh, sorry bout that," he said with a half-smile. "I guess we'd better get going before we freeze."

Aelita nodded and laughed. "It was fun though," she said with a smile and rubbed her arms. "If only someone would have thought of the cold water before they dragged us in it."

"Hey, I'm sorry already. I didn't think it'd be that cold," he muttered and they both chuckled. "Grab your bag and we can start heading back." Aelita nodded and grabbed her bag from the bench.

They started walking, and after a little while the wind started picking up. A big gust came and blew their hair as well as made them shiver. "Odd, I'm so cold. I didn't even think to bring a big coat."

"Here," he said and pulled her into his arms and rubbed her back quickly, trying to warm her up. She shivered against him, but smiled.

"Thanks, Odd." She pulled her arms up in front of her to rest on his chest and hopefully to get them warmer.

"No problem," he said with a smile and pulled her tighter. He continued to rub her back quickly. When he could finally feel the heat coming, he slowed down and pulled out of the hug and held her at arms length. "Better?"

"Yeah," she whispered and stared into his eyes. "Thanks." She felt her cheeks flush and blinked before turning away. "We'd better get going before it gets colder."

Odd nodded and they started walking back toward the main road and toward Kadic.

_  
And all I really want from you is to feel me  
It's a feeling inside that keeps building  
And I will find a way to you if it kills me  
_

They quickly walked back toward the school, heading toward the forest. Aelita's cheeks started turning pink as well as her nose from the cold. Odd kept glancing over at her to make sure she was alright. The wind blew and both of them shivered and picked up the pace.

"Are you alright, Aelita?" Odd asked, worried because her face was entirely white except her nose and cheeks which were bright pink.

"Yeah," she said breathing deeply as she tried to keep up with Odd's brisk pace.

"Do I need to slow down? Am I going to fast?" he asked apologetically.

Aelita just shook her head. "The sooner we get to Kadic, the better."

"I'm really sorry, Aelita. I didn't mean for us to get this wet," he muttered, and she nodded. He looked over at her again. Her cheeks were loosing color and her hair was plastered to her face because it was wet. Her hands were turning purple. He looked around and noticed that they were still a ways away from Kadic. "Aelita, I think we should stop and go in somewhere. You look like you're freezing." She shook her head and continued walking.

"Aelita, stop," Odd said and stopped and grabbed her arm. It was so cold her could hardly touch it. "You're freezing. We need to go inside."

"Come on, Odd, we're close to Kadic. We just need to keep going. You're just slowing us down," she said and shivered. Another gust of wind came and both of them shivered again. Aelita looked at Odd and quickly walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him. She was freezing, and compared to her, he was warm. He rubbed her back again, trying to get her warmed up.

As the wind died down, Odd pulled out of the embrace and looked to Aelita. "Do you really want to keep going?"

She nodded. So, they started walking again. After a while the wind picked up again and Aelita and Odd both shivered. Odd pulled Aelita into his arms. "Thanks, but we need to keep walking," she said as soon as the wind died down again.

"I've got an idea," Odd stated and pulled Aelita into his side and wrapped one arm around her. "There. Now, you can stay warm and we can keep walking." She smiled.

_If it kills me  
_

They walked as quickly as they could together. They made it to the forest quickly and headed through the leafy floor. The wind blew the leaves around and some got stuck in their hair. They quickly headed through, trying not to get too many leaves stuck in their hair. As they exited the forest, the wind picked up again making both of them shiver. Odd pulled his arm from around Aelita and started dashing toward the building. Aelita quickly followed suit and ran after him. They finally made it to the back entrance of Kadic and got inside. Odd shut the door quickly behind him, and both of them shivered as they rubbed their arms. Then, they both looked at each other and Aelita started laughing. Odd starting laughing as well.

"You should see your hair. It's full of leaves," Aelita stated and continued to laugh.

Odd laughed as well. "Speak for yourself." He pointed at her hair, and they both continued to laugh. Odd started picking the leaves out of his hair and so did Aelita.

"Did I get them all?" Aelita asked, laughing.

Odd nodded. "How bout me?" Aelita shook her head and laughed as there were still about five leaves in his hair. She reached up and pulled the leaves out of his hair. "Thanks," he said and they both laughed again.

"Hey, I'm sorry about today," Odd started to say. "I didn't mean for-."

Aelita cut him off. "Why are you sorry? Today was the most fun I've had in a long time. I had a bunch of fun, even though it was cold near the end." They both laughed.

"Yeah I guess I should have thought about that before hand."

"But, really, Odd, today was great. I got to go ice skating at my favorite place. I got an amazing t-shirt. I ate some of the best pizza in the country. I even laughed harder than I have in a long time. Today was amazing and I owe you," she said and smiled. "If you ever want anything, just ask me. I owe you so much. Isn't there anything I can do for you?" Aelita insisted.

_Nothing I can ask for while you still like Jeremie. _"No. I'm just glad you had a great time. We should do it again sometime."

Aelita smiled and nodded. "Definitely. Although, next time you can't pay for everything. But, really, Odd, can't I do anything for you? I can pay for today if you want."

"No. I'm fine, really, Aelita. I am. Maybe, I'll think of something later and we can go do that. You don't _have_ to do anything for me," he said with a smile. "I'm just glad you enjoyed yourself.

"I know I don't _have to_ do anything, but I _want to_. Just name it," she insisted. "What do you want? Food? To go to a movie? A favor?"

_If you only knew what I wanted. I want a favor you would never do. That is why I can't ask you. _"If I think of something, I'll get back to you. Now, how about I walk you to your dorm?"

"That'd be great, Odd."

_If it kills me  
_

They both headed down the hallway and up the stairs towards Aelita's room. They arrived quicker than Odd had wanted. His perfect day was drawing to a close. Aelita turned toward him and smiled. Her eyes sparkled again and Odd sighed.

"There is something you're not telling me," Aelita stated firmly.

_This is the prefect opportunity. It's practically the last chance you'll get for a long time. You can either tell her the truth or keep it to yourself forever. _

"What is it, Odd?"

"It's…it's nothing. I just didn't want for this day to end," he said with a sigh.

"Me either," Aelita said and smiled again. "Are you sure there's nothing wrong?"

_Tell her now! She knows. Can't you see it in her eyes? She knows and is waiting for you to say something._

"Yeah. There's nothing wrong. Everything's great," he said and smiled at her. "I'm glad you had a fun time." She smiled.

"You're such a great friend, Odd. Thanks," Aelita said and pulled him in a hug.

"You're welcome."

They both smiled and Aelita pulled back out. "I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast. Maybe Jeremie will finally come."

"Odd gave her an awkward smile. "Yeah, maybe. Even if he isn't, I'll see you at breakfast."

Aelita opened her door and stepped inside. "Good night, Odd."

"Good night," he said with a smile and she shut her door.

He sighed and smiled. "I love you," he whispered and turned around to head toward his own dorm.

_It might kill me_

**I hope you liked it.  
Review if you did.  
Review if you didn't.  
Review.  
Thanks! :)**


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